THAT TOWN CASE

PULLEN

Posted By: Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert (email)
Date: 3/11/2007 at 14:53:00

The Chariton Patriot
Chariton, Iowa
February 24, 1875

THAT TOWN CASE. -- The sensation of Chariton for the last ten days has been
the case in this circuit court of SARAH A. PULLEN against the town. As has
been mentioned it was a case in which the plaintiff claimed $10,000 dollars
damages for injuries received by falling from a defective side-walk last May
The trial began the first of last week, and lasted until court adjourned
Saturday evening, and throughout the entire week was the absorbing topic
among our town people. The unusual interest that was taken in the case,
grew out of the huge amount claimed and the quite general feeling, as it was
expressed by almost everyone that we heard say anything in regard to it,
that it was a "put up job" by some interested party, and not a bonafide case
The Court House was crowded with spectators during the continuance of the
trial, and on the whole, PULLEN vs the Town of Chariton, stirred our little
city up about as completely as the great scandal case does the greater town
of Brooklyn, although the trial did not last so long, and the issue was
concerning the value of a few broken ribs, and in this respect different
from the Brooklyn case. The Judge left the matter with the Jury Saturday
evening, and at ten o'clock it returned to the Clerk a verdict, giving the
plaintiff $500.00 and costs.

It is not yet known whether the corporation will appeal the case
or not.
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The Chariton Patriot
Chariton, Iowa
March 3, 1875

The only incident giving rise to any fun that we have heard of at the city
election on Monday, occurred in the second ward and was as follows: Some
one, who was anxious to do something to destroy the monotony of voting one
ticket without opposition, wrote up quite a number containing a new list of
candidates, among whom was MRS. PULLEN (the plaintiff in the damage case
against the town) for Assessor. Soon after a voter entered the enginhouse
anxious to exercise his prerogative by adding one to the list of ballots
polled, and was handed one of the new tickets. It was read over to him, a
name at a time, he remarking as the names were called for various offices
that "That is all right", until the name of our MRS. P was announced for
Assessor when he hesitated for a moment, looking very much astonished at the
idea of running a woman for office, and then ejaculated "MRS. P. for
Assessor? not by a d------sight. She has already assessed the town too much
I'll not vote for her. At this point the crowd laughed, and the follow,
after inquiring how "the rest were voting," folded up a printed ticket
containing a list of names entirely different from those he had pronounced
all right" and passed it to the judges, and departed, muttering something
about MRS. PULLEN having "tried already to pull too much money out of the
town, for him to vote for her."
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Copied by Nancee(McMurtrey)Seifert
February 16, 2007